Dumb Ways to Ask for an Interview

Many people who run podcasts also run their own businesses and call themselves entrepreneurs. As the boss, we're so accustomed to doing everything ourselves and often forget to stop and think about the other person and their needs. Here are some common mistakes podcasters often make when trying to request for a guest to come onto their show.

Don't Make Your Guests Jump Through Hoops

Your guests are not your pet monkeys, do not make them do stupid things to get on your show. It delays the process, it makes them feel inferior, and frankly, people usually have better things to do. Hosts can be exceptionally cruel to their potential guests without even knowing it. Booking interviews is the most time consuming process for a podcast, so it makes sense people want to expedite it or delegate it to someone else. However, by doing this, you don't personally see how grueling and torturous the process is to your guests.

For example, hosts will sometimes send a guest to a scheduling form that the guest will have to fill out and indicate what time is good for them to do the interview. This is especially useful if guests are on a different time zone and it also prevents the whole back and forth email figuring out when's a good time to chat, but requesting more information than that is incredibly inconvenient for them. Do not create complex forms and require extra details from your guest that make them feel like they're filing their taxes. Make the form as simple as possible, I.E. name, date, timezone, time. Done. Please don't force your guest to write a mini bio about them and their dogs.

Also, try to make it as simple as possible for your interviewee to get a good idea about what you're about. You can write it once, create a template, and copy and paste it into every email you send out to guests. That way they don't have to do in depth digging to find out what you're website is, who you are, etc. This brings me to my next point..

Don't Be Too Vague

Most people are more than happy to come onto your show, but if they have no idea what the subject of your show is or even what you want their insight on, it can be intimidating and the quality of your content will be poor, at best.

When you're reaching out to a guest, make sure you make it clear what you want their expertise on, what the subject of the show will be, who you usually cater to, and what kind of topics your podcast covers on the whole. Give them as much information as you can, so they can prepare themselves for the right kind of interview. As mentioned earlier, you only have to type up a mini bio of everything your guest needs to know one time.

Don't Ask Last Minute

People are busy, don't let them suffer because you are too. Give them time in advance to prepare, get them excited, and you'll have a happier guest for it. There are lot of big names in the industry who are used to having other people bend at their will whenever they're free and ready to do an interview, but that doesn't mean you should take up those bad habits, too. Respect your guest's time, plan ahead, and the quality of your show will be that much better.

About Podfly:

Podfly is a snazzy company that produces awesome podcasts for everyone who wants to start one or wants a brand new look. We are a group of professional audio engineers and copy writers that not only help your podcast sound fantastic, but also make you sound great in iTunes and Stitcher Radio descriptions. Feel free to contact us or message me personally at Ayn@Podfly.net.